Calk for athletic shoes



. E. C. STERNAMAN CALK FOR ATHLETIC SHOES Oct. 9, 1928.

Filed Feb; 27. 1925- v c aw m v,

Fatented 66$. 9, 1928 are STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD C. QTERNAMAN, OLE CHICAGQ II'ALINOIS.

CALK non a'rnnn'rxc snonsp Application filed February 27, 1925. Serial' l 'o. 11,932.

This invention relates to athletic shoes of that type which are provided with calks or spurs on the under side of the sole and heel to prevent slipping and .afiord a secure ground foothold for the wearer and the invention has been designed more especially as an improvement in athletic shoes of the kind usually worn by footballplayers.

One object of my present invention is to ture of calk that will be strong and durable,

serve as an eiticient ground grip, and at the same time be less dangerous to players than the sharp conical calks or spurs heretofore quite extensively used.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention which, in hard service on the football field, has proved its eiiiciency for the purposes stated.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an athletic shoe equipped with my improved calks or spurs;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section through a portion ofthe sole, one of the calks, and the calk-attaching means; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, and Fig. 5 a perspective view of an improved form of safety calk or spur. v v

- Referring to the drawing, 5 designates as an entirety the upper of the shoe, 6 the outer sole, 7 the heel, and 8 (Fig. 3) an inner sole or sole cover slip.

9 designates each of a plurality of-calks or spurs that are tapered throughout their entire length and are attached to and project from the bottoms of'the sole 6 and heel 7. These spurs are all alike, and preferably consist of compressed fibre,-a material presenting an excellent combination of lightness, strength, and freedom from s litting tendencies. Theca-lk 9 has a broad at base which rests squarely against the bottom of the sole or heel, as clearly shown in Fig. 3; and 10 designates a metal collar tapered to correspond-with the taper of the call: and

snugly embracing the base portion ofthe latter. This collar has at its base an integral annular flange 11 that'bears upon-the sole or heel all around the base of the calk. I l2 designates each of a group of nails that are driven through the flange 11 and the outer sole, or heel, and have their upper ends clinchedand preferably countersunk in'the .upper surface of the outer sole, as shown at 13. The foot of the wearer'is additionally protected against possible chafing by the nails by means of the overlying inner sole or sole cover slip 8. Preferably, and as shown in Fig. '3, the'nails 12 are not driven through the sole in a' direction normal. to the plane of the latter, but are driven in an oblique direction inclined toward the axis. By driving the fastening of the call: 9. nails in this manner, a more powerful'and tenacious-grip of the nails in the sole is obtained.

I am aware that a round callr or spur of uniform diameter throughout with an outwardly flaring base portion has heretofore been attached to a shoe sole by means of a tapered ring overlying the flaring base portion, and nails or screws passed through said ring and base portion into the sole. This construction has one serious fault, especially where'the calk or spur is made of amaterial that will absorb moisture, since the moisture causes thecalk or spur to swell, and this swelling loosens and tends to pull out the attaching nails or screws. Furthermore, my invention is structurally distinguished from the known constructionreferred to in that 'it employs a tapered collar embracing the tapered base of the calk, an annular flange bearing only upon the sole or heel of the shoe, and attaching nails which pass directly through the flange and into the-sole or heel without going through the calkror spur itself. Hence, my attaching means are unaffected by'swelling of the calk or spur. It will also be observed by reference to Fig. 3

that the nails 12 aredriven at points substantially contiguous tothe edge of the base wvise might/occur and cause the base of the ball: to spring out of the collar or at least work loose in the latter. 7

.One of the commonest means for'attaching a call: or spur to the sole of a'shoe consists of one or more nails driven through the" entire length of the calk into the sole.

Where such a fastening meansis employed, Wear on the tip of the calksoon exposes the head of the nail, and when walking on hard surfaces, like cement or concrete, the nail is driven further in through the sole and chafes the foot of the wearer; thus making such calks short-lived. The calk fastening means herein .shown'and described manifestly ob-v viates this objectionable feature.

A very eflicient arrangement orvgrouping.

of the'calks or spurs to resist forward, rearward and flank thrusts is shown. in Fi 2,

wherein it will be observed that the vso e6; isequipped with two longitudinal rowsZ-of calks disposed respectively on'opposite sides of'the longitudinal me'dian'line bf the sole tially in the longitudinal median line of -'the-.'

' the direction o preventing accidental or breaking of the ankle of the "bite the there being preferably three calks in each row, as shown. The heel 7 is equipped with three calksdisposed thereon in triangular relation, and preferably with oneTof thecalks on therear of the heel with its axis substanheel, and the other two located forwardl and on opposite sides respectively of sai v rearwardly locatedcalk.'

The described arrangement on both sole and heel is very effective, especially. when used with the tapered conical calks or s'purs' shown; Manifestly, an inward flank thrust causes one longitudinal row .on the solefto ound, and an outward flank thrust causes t e other longitudinal-rowto similarly bite the round. This flank'r'esistance' is augmented 'y the two forward calks" on the heel. Again, the triangular disposition of the heel calksenables the minimum number of calks to beused to secure a sufficiently,

sistin side rocking. movements oft e shoe; and t 's is of lar e practical Importance tapered calk illustrated in v This calk'is preferably made 1 of-the sa'm'e 'ing a' tapered portion snugly eneirclin base of the s ur body? to confine the fitter the same planeas the saidfiat inner. surwearer the rough Scrimmages q y Occur on the football fie d.

The shar some players on the ground that itisunduly dangerous in the rough scrimmages'that fre pointed conical form'of Ishownin igs. '1' and 2'is'di'sapproved by quently occur on" the foothall field", some'-; i times producing ugly wounds. With a view to obviating thisiobjection and providing a calk that will ;be both eflicientqand q uch safer, I have designed-the im roved form' of material p sed fibre) F as the conical calk shown, but. consists of-"a; section of a solidcfylinder '14. havln'g two opposite sides thereo intersecting, thereby creating a wedgeflattened and inclinedgdownwardly-- toward each other as shown at 1-5 but not" the. flanged collars 10, 11. Manifestly this bilateral; wedge shape, however, gives it ample gripping-effect oir'the ground 1n pla and otherwise affords practically all the a several calks to the. sole of theshoe,,.. .an d

- as is practicable, the knatural flexibility-of the so e 1s not seriously impairedor re 1 stricted, andhence the shoe may be w rn with-practically the same degree/of corn fort as'an ordi la' y shoe. v

-Iclaim:-" A ca-lk structure consisting of a taperedtowardthe outer end at its use and "improved ealkis much blunter, and hence correspondingly less dangerous than the comparatively sharply polnted calks illus-- 'trated. in connectionwith Figs. 1 and 2.; Its 1 Hie ilocatingwm e ges of the-latter I. sppr body f having a-flat inner surface, a collar includ against with rawal from the collar-and ,an

' annular securing flange. for ed on the inner broad support to prevent either forward and rear or side tipping. The described group ing of the calks on both the" sole and, heel is jparticularly eflicient iniwithstandin and re-.

1ally'th'reof tofllocateits inner face in. 4

il of)? am offlthe spur body, saidflange having a,

ments. j 

